The best Shakespeare film adaptations

As LFO told us, “Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets.” However, William Shakespeare also wrote some plays, and many of his plays have been turned into movies. Some have been strict adaptations, while others have been looser. These are some of the best Shakespeare adaptations on film.

We have to start with the straight Shakespeare adaptation that won Best Picture. Laurence Olivier directed, as well as played the Prince of Denmark. Thought of as one of the greatest actors of any generation, Olivier won Best Actor for his work.

We didn’t go with Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Hamlet because, spoiler, he’ll get his chance to be on this list. Instead, we’ll go with the one that starred Mel Gibson in the lead role. Sure, these days, Gibson is persona non grata, but in 1990 he was a big star lending his name to a solid adaptation of the play.

As we said, there are some loose adaptations here. People will say that, for example, The Lion King is an adaptation of Hamlet. That’s a little more about interpretation. However, Strange Brew overtly intended to be a twist on the story of the Melancholy Dame. Only, you know, with Bob and Doug McKenzie.

Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the best filmmakers ever. He decided to give Shakespeare’s King Lear an adaptation set in his native Japan. At the time, it was the priciest Japanese film ever made. It paid off, though. Many consider it Kurosawa’s best movie, and that’s saying a lot.

Macbeth is arguably considered Shakespeare's greatest play. And yet, there wasn't a definitive film take on it before Joel Coen took a shot with The Tragedy of Macbeth  starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. The best of the bunch thus far is probably this 2015 adaptation starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.

This is the first of the significant Romeo and Juliet adaptations. This is probably the most famous play by Shakespeare because teenagers tend to read it in school. In time, many have forgotten George Cukor’s adaptation, but it was considered good at the time. It certainly featured an impressive cast, led by the likes of John Barrymore and Basil Rathbone.

Would it be nice if actual Puerto Ricans had played the Puerto Rican characters? That goes without saying. Well, that’s 1961 for you. Nevertheless, this musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet has its heart in the right place. It also has some beloved songs, so much so that it won Best Picture.

If you were of a certain age in 1996, this is the definitive adaptation of Shakespeare. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are Romeo and Juliet to an entire generation. Baz Luhrman slicked up the story a bit and set it in contemporary times, but the young love and tragic ends are still there.

Here’s Kenneth Branagh’s first appearance. Branagh starred and made his debut as a director. All he did was get nominated for Best Actor and Best Director at the Academy Awards. This is, without hyperbole, the film that made his career. His version of the St. Crispin’s Day speech is considered by many as one of the best Shakespeare moments on screen.

This film doesn’t just have Ian McKellen in the lead role. It also has an interesting take in that it takes place in 1930s England. Richard III is reconfigured as a fascist looking to usurp the throne. It threads the needle between being faithful and imaginative.

Branagh is at it again, this time with an adaptation of a comedy. It has quite the cast, including Branagh’s then-wife, the always delightful Emma Thompson. Also in the cast? Oh, just names like Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves, amongst others.

What makes Joss Whedon’s version of Shakespeare’s play worthy of this list is the quality and the way it was made. Basically, Whedon made a cheap version with friends in his house over 12 days while on a break from post-production of The Avengers. All of a sudden, he dropped it on the world. Doing that with a Shakespeare adaptation is pretty impressive.

Of all the "Shakespeare, but with young people” adaptations, 10 Things I Hate About You is probably the best. This take on The Taming of the Shrew takes a play that could be a little squirmy by modern standards and makes it work. Of course, having Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger starring helps the situation.

Ah, to go back to the time when Amanda Bynes was a movie star. She’s the Man places Twelfth Night in a high school setting. Hey, it’s a charming little comedy and a nice blast from the past. Oh, and Channing Tatum is in it.

This is far from Shakespeare’s most popular play. However, Ralph Fiennes did something impressive with it in his directorial debut. Fiennes gives it a vague modern Eastern European setting and fills it with blood. Literally, the poster features blood pouring down Fiennes’ face. The man went all in.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz, brother of the beloved Mank , directed this adaptation. A couple of legendary British actors, James Mason and John Gielgud play Brutus and Cassius. Then, a young, promising actor was cast as Mark Antony. His name? Marlon Brando.

Julie Taymor is not, shall we say, a subtle director. Some Shakespeare plays would not be ideal for her to adapt. Titus Andronicus, though? That’s right up her alley. She went all out in her Titus , which stars Anthony Hopkins in the title role.

Wanting to work The Tempest into the mix — and not really being fans of Taymor’s adaptation — we are going with Forbidden Planet. This is more along the lines of an interpretation, but many people have the interpretation that Forbidden Planet is based on The Tempest. You see the parallels when you watch it. Even if you aren’t looking for Shakespeare in the mix, you still get an enjoyable sci-fi film.

The thing about Othello is that in the play, he is a Moor, an old-timey term for Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East who were making their way into Europe. Back in the day, though, he would be played on screen by actors like Orson Welles or Laurence Olivier. In O, another high school film, he’s played by Mekhi Phifer. It came a few years after a straightforward adaptation starring Laurence Fishburne (with Branagh as Iago, naturally), but this one has more cultural cachet.

We’ll end with one more Branagh adaptation because you can’t argue that the man hasn’t been dedicated to the cause. He also gave As You Like It, probably its first substantive adaptation. He does move the story in time and in location, but how many people know the play enough to know or care? Plus, he had quite the cast.